A (not so) busy weekend

If the title of the post confused you, well you are not the only one as I am also confused how I can be busy and not so busy at the same time!

Weekends are usually the time to catch-up on some household chores, spend some quality time with family, and find the time to unwind from the previous week's work-related stress. A two-day weekend is always not enough! Actually, even a three-day weekend is not enough. I'm not sure if I just do not manage my time properly or there are just so many things to be done in so little time. Especially when you have a kid in the house, there is definitely not enough time for all the things you want to get done.

In the mornings, I try to squeeze in a quick 30 minute workout. I normally will not be able to do it because Riley demands that I watch the new EvanTubeHD videos with him. Or it can be Peppa Pig. Or Blaze and the Monster Machines. So I will wait until he is sleeping for his morning nap for me to do my workout. But most of the time, he will wake up if I am not sleeping beside him. There goes my morning plan!

Afternoons are usually spent outside, either at the mall or at Lolo's house.

Last weekend, we had lunch at Brother's Burger in Westgate.

He refuses to sit on the highchair. He insists that he is a big boy now and proceeds to show me his 'big' hands and feet. I told him to sit down properly and he reasoned that he is still smaller than me so he has to sit like that.

Quick side trip to My Father's Bookstore located above Neil's Kitchen

Sometimes we squeeze in a grocery trip for Riley's necessities. The actual household grocery is done without him.

He looks behaved in this shot. He normally jumps or walks around inside the trolley.

We also stopped by Alabang Town Center for some gelato at Amici, went to church in our village, and had a quick play at the park.

By the time we reach home it is already past 6 pm.
I have not done any exercises, visited the parlor, or had a quiet time for myself.

And before I know it, Monday is here! And it's like I did not accomplish anything concrete.

But even though I have a busy (sometimes hectic) weekend, I would not trade it for anything.
I consider it a blessing (and I am thankful) to be able to spend my weekend like this. It's not about myself anymore since Riley was born. Though I am still adjusting to thinking about his needs first instead of my own, I feel that I am slowly getting accustomed it.

Now if only I could squeeze in that workout then everything is perfect!

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Summer School Trial at Cambridge International School

I was looking for summer school activities that Riley can participate in and I came across Cambridge International School's summer courses. They had a free trial last weekend and I wanted to check if it was a right fit for Riley.

They had different programs depending on your child's interest. Rowlings for the future writers, Bourdains for the future chefs, Picassos for the artists, and I.M. Peis for the budding architects. I was crossing my fingers that Riley will choose the architect program as he loves playing with his Legos. But he had a mind of his own and preferred the Bourdains class. Like a little rebel, he promptly took off his chef's hat and did his own thing without waiting for the teacher. He even stood up and went beside the teacher to take the ingredients from her! 

I feel that the lessons are more suitable to children older than Riley. There was this long introduction about the types of food and for a 2 1/2 year old kid to listen to that is just too much. I would probably enroll Riley here when he is around 4 years old or older. I love how happy and positive the teachers are despite the constant interruption from the kids. It really humbles me how difficult a teacher's job really is.

Pros: Exposes your child to other interests and they might discover or learn new skills from the courses.

Cons: Students per class will be of different ages (from 2-6 years old based on the kids participating that day) so if your child is the youngest, he/she might not be given the attention he/she needs to fully understand the lessons.

After making his own pizza in the school, he asked me if we can go to the grocery to buy ingredients and make our own pizza at home. He said he wants his papa to taste his cooking. Watch out world! Junior MasterChef Riley is coming to a kitchen near you! 

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Finding Riley

We watched the classic Finding Nemo the other night (I'm declaring it a classic as it is still so relatable even after 12 years!). It was Riley's first time to watch it and as with any boy his age, he cannot sit still. The sharks scared him a little especially when they kept baring their teeth. One thing he remembered from the movie was that Nemo got separated from his father.

We were at the mall and he kept trying to run away from me. I did not want to grip his arm too tightly as it might dislocate or something when he tries to pull out of my grasp. After the thousandth time of him running away, I scooped him up in my arms and told him if he remembers Nemo. He said yes and I asked him why Nemo got lost in the first place. He just shrugged his shoulders. So I told him because he did not listen to his father when his father asked him to hold his hand. It took a few seconds for him to understand it and when he did, he quickly asked me to hold both his hands. When I told him one hand will do, he scolded me for not holding both his hands! Oh boy...

Funny part is after that he asked me if I was happy now. Cheeky fella, I know. He keeps asking that whenever he does what we tell him. I don't think he knows what sarcasm is yet so I don't get angry.

One time I told him that I was still sad. He hugged me and kissed me on the lips and then asked me again if I was happy now. Of course, I told him yes! :)

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The magic word

Part of growing up means that you formulate your own thoughts and make your own decisions. We have been constantly trying to impart good manners to Riley by teaching him to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Sometime he remembers and when he does not, we remind him and he will happily oblige.

One night, as we were getting ready to sleep, he asked for his lampin (cloth used for swaddling or as a diaper but he uses it like a blanket). He always cuddles with his lampin during nap times.

Riley: Mama, get my lampin.
Me: You have to say it nicely. What's the magic word?
Riley: Uhmm... Mickey Mouse clubhouse!
Me: It's 'please'
Riley: Please Mickey Mouse clubhouse!

I will chalk this up as a win as he did say 'please' in the end.

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Dialogues with a toddler

As my son learns new words and phrases, I am finding it more challenging to have a conversation with Riley. Here's the starting point to document our little chats.

Me (trying to brush his teeth): Open your mouth wider please.
Riley: Later... (turns his back)
Me: Since you don't want me to brush you're teeth, I'll go downstairs and call Aya to brush your teeth.
Riley: Mama, no. Don't say that. It's not nice.
Me: ...umm...okay...

I don't even know what the appropriate reaction for that is!


And he started getting curious about the taste of the coffee I drink every morning.

Riley: Can I try that Mama?
Me: Sorry, it's for grown-ups only.
Riley: But Riley is a grown-up little boy Mama!
Me: ...umm...no.


After a long day at work, I normally head to the shower before going to bed. But Riley was sleepy and wanted me to sleep with him already.

Riley: Let's go to sleep now Mama.
Me: I'll shower first okay? You sleep with Papa and I'll join you after I take a bath.
Riley: (starts to cry) But I want to sleep with Mama!
Me: I need to shower first because I'm stinky.
Riley: (runs to hug me and still crying) Mama, you're not stinky! You smell good!
Me: ...umm...okay...


I saw him rubbing the top of his head and asked him what he was doing.

Riley: I'm fixing my hair.
Me: You're messing it up.
Riley: No, I'm fixing it because I'm handsome!


I was sick and was sleeping on the sofa so Riley would not catch my cold. He kept insisting I sleep with him and he kept crying if I leave him on the bed. I gave up and just lay down on the bed with him.

Riley: Where's my blanket?
Me: You left it on the sofa. I'll wait for you here while you go get it.
Riley: I'll just get my blanket. Don't cry okay Mama? I'll just be over there.

Oh Riley! You funny little boy!

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Is this the start of the Terrible Twos?

Since turning two last December, Riley has been rather emotional about every little thing. For instance, in the photo above, we were waiting for our turn to ride the train in Sky Ranch Tagaytay. Every time the train comes back and we were not on it, he would pout and pitifully say, "I want to ride the train." We have been patient with him by explaining that we have to wait for our turn. And 90% of the time, he will listen and wait while amusing himself. I find it very funny that he will either dance on the spot or talk the people around him.

He has also started the "gimme" stage. He wants everything that attracts his attention. Even the ones he has no use for! We passed by a small dvd store on the way home and he was attracted to the colorful covers of the displayed dvds. He suddenly shouted, "I want that! Many!" When I asked him what will he do with a lot of dvds, he just said. "I don't know." Before he can start a tantrum, I diverted his attention to other things in our path like the birds or cars passing by. 

The worst case of Terrible Twos that we had was when we were in SnR and he saw this huge fluffy stuffed toy. In the first place, he was never a fan of stuffed toys. And this particular stuffed toy was a colorful fluffy cute monster. He would not let it go and kept hugging it. Whenever we tried to put it back he would howl and jump up and down. Panic mode on! My husband and I waited for him to finish his tantrum (and me to calm down!) and when he was semi-quiet, we explained to him that we will purchase and take home that toy BUT we have to give away every single one of his toys at home because he simply had too many toys. I enumerated out loud all his favorite toys and told him that I will give all those toys to every kid I see. He was silent for a moment (thinking it over, maybe) and told us to put back the toy so we can go home. Alleluiah! 

I noticed though that we had to be consistent on telling him this as he constantly tries to throw another "gimme" tantrum whenever there is this attractive toy in the mall. We always tell him the same thing in a firm but gentle tone. And I simply cannot leave him at home every time I want to go shopping. I find it best to expose him and call him out on the not-so-nice behavior before it gets out of hand.

If this is the start of the Terrible Twos, I need to start being more patient as I would hate myself if I loose my temper and spank him.  

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It was a penguins and fishes 2nd birthday at the Manila Ocean Park

The day has finally arrived! Riley has been insisting for months that he wanted to go to the zoo and see the penguins. Even though we have been telling him that the #penguins live in a different place, he keeps telling us that he wants to go to the zoo. He has probably seen in on some cartoon that the penguins can be found in the zoo. 

We planned a simple day at the Manila Ocean #Park for his birthday. Instead of purchasing the tickets on-site, I opted to book the package deal from MetroDeal. They had a lot of adventure packages to choose from and I picked the 8 attractions with buffet lunch for only P899 (it was valued at P2000 so not too bad). 

We started with the Oceanarium where initially there were multiple large aquariums that were scattered around a huge multi-level open area. It felt like you were in a jungle fish shop. I did not expect it to have an open area. And I totally did not expect to see a crocodile cooped up in a glass enclosure.

After climbing to the second level, you will enter a dark room filled with pretty tropical fishes and corals.

So pretty that you would think twice if they are real or not.

Rawr

Awesome to see a starfish up-close.

Riley was scared the whole time. The glass of the #aquarium was so clear that he thought that the fishes can get to him. He kept jumping in our arms whenever the fishes are swimming near him. We kept holding the glass to show him that it separates us from the fishes. But he keeps telling us to just look at it and do not touch it. So we did not force him to interact with the fishes and just carried him in our arms. This is one time I missed carrying him in his ergo carrier.

Dimly lit area. I feel this area is missing some exhibits.

Soon, we traveled to this open area with huge aquariums. Now, I am impressed!

You can see his terrified expression here. Poor baby!

We spent a lot of time in this aquarium tunnel. At first, Riley did not want to go down. Luckily, he got used to it after around 10 minutes. He still refused to go too near the fishes but at least he is willing to go down and give our aching arms a rest.

And the highlight of our trip... the penguins!

And we saw a couple of small penguins. It was difficult to see them clearly because of the foggy glass. Plus, they placed large penguin statues around the area so at first I thought the penguins were not moving at all. To interact with the penguins you have to pay around P400 (for 2 people) and you get to feed them while someone will take your photo. I was so underwhelmed by this penguin enclosure that we opted not to fork out the extra dough for the penguin meet & greet. Mahal!

The trails of Antartica exhibit claimed to have "4 zones including a walk-through exhibit, experience Earth’s frozen wilderness and see Humboldt penguins live". We only got to see the penguins and went inside a big chiller where they will again take your picture and you have to pay extra to get the photo. I was not a fan of the icy wind blowing on my face so I left them inside while they were freezing their ears off inside the big fridge. Where was the walk-through exhibit?! We had to enter this area twice because we thought we missed it but the staff told us that was it. Epic fail.

 

We headed to the buffet area to ease our disappointed hearts. The main course was bland and you have to pay extra for the drinks. On the positive note, they have keropok and the fruit salad and buco pandan was good despite it being warm.

Telling me about the small penguin that he saw.

We headed to the Birds of Prey area after our lunch. We were all hesitant to go near the birds. They have razor sharp beaks and claws! There were some people who were trying to poke the birds with a stick thinking that the birds will transfer to it. I had my phone's camera focused on them in case the birds attack. At least there will be evidence that the birds were provoked!

It tickles!

We went to the #sharks and rays dry encounter. They only had the rays. And no picture-taking was allowed. If you wanted to take a picture, you have to get their official photographer take a picture and they will charge you a fee for it (naturally).

Quickly heading to the fish spa area, I had my doubts having fishes nibbles on my feet. It was our first time to try it and there was a lot of screaming going on (mostly from me!). Some of the fishes were as big as my palm! I don't think they are supposed to be that big... *shudder*

It was very crowded in the jellyfish exhibit so it was hard to take a decent image. And since it was dark and cool in this area, Riley fell asleep while I was carrying him.

Coloring area in the Oceanarium

If you asked Riley which part he liked in the #Manila #Ocean #Park, he will tell you that he liked the coloring station!

We had fun despite some minor inconveniences (like actually experiencing what they advertise) but overall, we had a fun day. Would we be back in the future? Honestly, no. Maybe because I have seen the quality of the ocean parks in other countries but this is definitely at the bottom of the my recommendations list.

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